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The Important Relationship
Between Sleep, Fitness, and Recovery

Improve Your Sleep, Improve Your Workout Recovery.

The Important Relationship Between Sleep, Fitness, and Recovery

Improve Your Sleep, Improve Your Workout Recovery.

Sleep & Recovery

Sleep is a vital, yet often neglected, element of everyone’s health and wellbeing. Without enough sleep, everything from your mood to your appetite gets thrown off. In addition to typical symptoms of sleep deprivation — like crankiness and cravings — you may also experience a decline in workout recovery.

What to Know About Sleep

The quality of your sleep governs the quality of your life. There is no way to skirt that. High-quality sleep dictates whether you’re able to navigate mental and physical challenges the next day, and chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a host of emotional and physiological problems.

How Sleep Affects Workout Recovery

During sleep, your body doesn’t just go dormant — it spends those seven to nine hours performing all sorts of critical bodily functions to prepare your body for the next day. Muscle repair and a boosted immune system are just a couple ways sleep supports fitness recovery.

What to Know About Sleep

The quality of your sleep governs the quality of your life. There is no way to skirt that. High-quality sleep dictates whether you’re able to navigate mental and physical challenges the next day, and chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a host of emotional and physiological problems.

How Sleep Affects Workout Recovery

During sleep, your body doesn’t just go dormant — it spends those seven to nine hours performing all sorts of critical bodily functions to prepare your body for the next day. Here are four ways sleep supports fitness recovery.

Young woman waking up refreshed from a night of sleep

Most Muscle Repair
Happens During Sleep

Your body is always hard at work repairing the microtraumas your muscles endure from intense exercise. However, it works hardest at this process while you’re fast asleep. Studies show that the bulk of muscle protein synthesis — the process of taking available protein and using it to build or repair muscle tissue — happens during sleep.

Lack of Sleep Lowers Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin is responsible for taking sugar from your blood and moving it into body cells. Poor insulin sensitivity can interfere with glycogen replenishment (the process of replenishing the stored carbohydrates in your muscles that your body uses up during exercise). And with low glycogen stores, your body won’t recover as well or have as much available energy to use during your next workout.

The Body Releases Important Hormones During Sleep

Researchers believe that sleep positively affect muscle recovery and athletic performance largely due to the fact that growth hormone is produced and circulated at night. This typically happens during deep sleep, so if you don’t get enough slow-wave sleep, you may find yourself battling chronic soreness and muscle fatigue.

Sleep Keeps You From Falling Ill

Your body can’t focus on muscle recovery when it’s sick. If you get enough sleep every night, you shouldn’t have to worry about that, because your immune system will be humming along smoothly. During sleep, your body releases cytokines that help your body fight off infections and keep inflammation at bay.

Tired young woman fatigued after a workout
Products rich of carbohydrates. Healthy diet food on a white wooden table.

Most Muscle Repair Happens During Sleep

Your body is always hard at work repairing the microtraumas your muscles endure from intense exercise. However, it works hardest at this process while you’re fast asleep. Studies show that the bulk of muscle protein synthesis — the process of taking available protein and using it to build or repair muscle tissue — happens during sleep.

The Body Releases Important Hormones During Sleep

Researchers believe that sleep positively affect muscle recovery and athletic performance largely due to the fact that growth hormone is produced and circulated at night. This typically happens during deep sleep, so if you don’t get enough slow-wave sleep, you may find yourself battling chronic soreness and muscle fatigue.

Tired young woman sleeps well in soft bed with white sheets. Female teen peacefully resting with eyes closed in bedroom, enjoys sweet dreams. Perfect conditions, comfortable good night sleep.

Lack of Sleep Lowers Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin is responsible for taking sugar from your blood and moving it into body cells. Poor insulin sensitivity can interfere with glycogen replenishment (the process of replenishing the stored carbohydrates in your muscles that your body uses up during exercise). And with low glycogen stores, your body won’t recover as well or have as much available energy to use during your next workout.

Sleep Keeps You From Falling Ill

Your body can’t focus on muscle recovery when it’s sick. If you get enough sleep every night, you shouldn’t have to worry about that, because your immune system will be humming along smoothly. During sleep, your body releases cytokines that help your body fight off infections and keep inflammation at bay.

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Things to Consider

Things to Consider

While sleep is clearly indispensable, you shouldn’t try to force it. Everyone experiences sleeplessness from time to time, and you could make it worse by attempting to sleep when your body just isn’t ready. If you find yourself restless, get out of bed and try calming activities like stretching or reading a book (an actual book — not on a device!).

Learn More About Sleep and Exercise Recovery

  • Relieve Stress and Sleep Better With Percussive Therapy

References

  • Vitale KC, Owens R, Hopkins SR, Malhotra A. Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations. Int J Sports Med. 2019;40(8):535-543. doi:10.1055/a-0905-3103
  • Van Cauter E, Plat L. Physiology of growth hormone secretion during sleep. J Pediatr. 1996;128(5 Pt 2):S32-S37. doi:10.1016/s0022-3476(96)70008-2
  • Finan PH, Goodin BR, Smith MT. The association of sleep and pain: an update and a path forward. J Pain. 2013;14(12):1539-1552. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2013.08.007
  • Bird, Stephen P. PhD, CSCS1,2 Sleep, Recovery, and Athletic Performance, Strength and Conditioning Journal: October 2013 - Volume 35 - Issue 5 - p 43-47
  • Vitale KC, Owens R, Hopkins SR, Malhotra A. Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations. Int J Sports Med. 2019;40(8):535-543. doi:10.1055/a-0905-3103
  • Krueger JM, Frank MG, Wisor JP, Roy S. Sleep function: Toward elucidating an enigma. Sleep Med Rev. 2016;28:46-54. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2015.08.005

Keys to Recovery

Nutrition

Massage

Rest

Supplements

Stretching

Keys to Recovery

Nutrition

Massage

Rest

Stretching